The Top Gear Story

This is the full story of the unstoppable rise of Clarkson, Hammond, May and The Stig – and how they have transformed an ordinary programme about cars into one of the most famous and best-loved TV programmes of the 21st century. Reaching a peak in the 1990s thanks to presenter Jeremy Clarkson, the original series then faced the axe in 2001 – but Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman successfully pitched a new format to BBC bosses and Top Gear returned to become the irreverent, funny and often controversial show we now know and love.

How to Land an A330 Airbus: And Other Vital Skills for the Modern Man

Being given yet another pointless 'man manual' that told him 50 ways to tie a bow tie in under 30 seconds made James May certain there was a need for another kind of book. This book, in fact. He reckons there are nine vital things that a chap should be able to do.

Rush to Glory: Formula 1 Racing's Greatest Rivalry

The greatest duel in Formula 1 history: the 1976 season between Austrian Niki Lauda and Britain's James Hunt. As the '75 season ended, Hunt was out of Formula One racing while Lauda was world champion and the odds-on favorite for '76 with a year's contract ahead of him and Enzo Ferrari begging him to sign a multi-year deal. James Hunt, without a drive until Emerson Fittipaldi broke his McLaren contract, grabbed the McLaren drive with both hands and the help of friend John Hogan. The result? Two drivers in an epic 16-race battle across the globe for the '76 title, ultimately decided by a single point.

The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit

Phil Hill, a lowly California mechanic who, defying all expectations, became the first American to win the Grand Prix championship. In the tradition of Seabiscuit and The Right Stuff, Cannell’s high-octane narrative evokes the lives of the daredevils who tempted fate each Sunday by driving well over 150 mph without benefit of seat belts or roll bars.

Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans

By the early 1960s, Ford Motor Company, built to bring automobile transportation to the masses, was falling behind. Baby boomers were taking to the roads in droves, looking for speed not safety, style not comfort, and Ford didn’t offer what these young drivers wanted. Meanwhile, Enzo Ferrari lorded over the European racing scene, crafting beautiful, fast sports cars that epitomized style.

The Man in the White Suit: The Stig, Le Mans, The Fast Lane and Me

The Stig gets his kit off and reveals how he came to be Top Gear's iconic racing driver and so much more - including what it's like to thrash an Aston Martin DBS, train for the Army and face the terror of Jeremy Clarkson's underwear…When the Black Stig disappeared off the end of an aircraft carrier in 2003, we were introduced to The White Stig. Faster. Stranger. Harder to keep clean. And ever since, millions have wondered – who is The Man in the White Suit? They're about to find out.

Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America's Gutsiest Troublemakers

The star of Parks and Recreation and author of the New York Times best seller Paddle Your Own Canoe returns with a second book that humorously highlights 21 figures from our nation's history, from her inception to present day - Nick's personal pantheon of "great Americans".

Joe says:"Buy it and listen, or buy it and don't. I recommend the former."

When the Game Was Ours

From the moment these two players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most compelling rivalry in the NBA. These were the basketball epics of the 1980s - Celtics vs Lakers, East vs West, physical vs finesse, Old School vs Showtime, even white vs black. Each pushed the other to greatness - together Bird and Johnson collected eight NBA Championships and six MVP awards.

Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars

America was made manifest by its cars. From the assembly lines of Henry Ford to the open roads of Route 66 and Jack Kerouac, America's history is a vehicular history-an idea brought brilliantly to life in this major work by the acclaimed author of Crash Course: The American Automobile Industry's Road from Glory to Disaster.

Extreme Frontiers: Racing Across Canada from Newfoundland to the Rockies

Charley Boorman is back on his bike exploring the world's second-largest country - home to some of the most stunning and challenging terrain known to man. Canada is a country of extremes, and Charley knows all about pushing the limits. He goes dirt biking in New Brunswick, dives through old shipwrecks in Tobermory and rides along Butch Cassidy's old Outlaw Trail. He also meets a fascinating mix of people on his journey.

Halo: New Blood

While Spartans get all the glory, no soldier - not even the legendary Master Chief - wins a war on his own. Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck and his team of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) played a major role in saving the Earth from all-out invasion at the end of the Covenant War - acts of bravery and ingenuity that did not go unnoticed by the United Nations Space Command.

Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World

BMW is arguably the most admired carmaker in the world. It's financial performance is the envy of its competitors, and BMW products inspire near-fanatical loyalty. While many carmakers struggle with falling sales, profits and market share, demand for BMWs continues to grow, frequently outpacing production. Now, David Kiley goes inside the fabled German automaker to see how it does what it does so well.

Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Changed the Game of Basketball Forever

In Dream Team, acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team that captivated the world, kindled the hoop dreams of countless children around the planet, and remade the NBA into a global sensation. As a senior staff writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona.

Publisher's Summary

This is the full story of the unstoppable rise of Clarkson, Hammond, May and The Stig – and how they have transformed an ordinary programme about cars into one of the most famous and best-loved TV programmes of the 21st century.

Reaching a peak in the 1990s thanks to presenter Jeremy Clarkson, the original series then faced the axe in 2001 – but Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman successfully pitched a new format to BBC bosses and Top Gear returned to become the irreverent, funny and often controversial show we now know and love.

The addition of co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May completed the Top Gear dream team and ratings soared asviewers tuned in to see the latest Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, arguments over the Cool Wall and Power Laps by the mysterious Stig. Top Gear has long attracted criticism for its dangerous stunts and the presenters’ controversial opinions.

Not at all. A child could have written this same book by regurgitating information from Wikipedia. Martin Roach is a complete hack. When Jereme Pride "tries" to convey a quote from Jeremy, Richard, or James, his dialect would be better suited for Ozzy's next book.

This is basically a big TG fan recounting various episodes and the presenters' articles and interviews. Setting aside some facts he got wrong (Fisher is a cat; it's James, not Jeremy who is the same age as Oliver), this book lacks any kind of "insider" info. If you've seen the more popular antics, and have ever read about the presenters in a paper, then you're already aware of everything in this book. I can't even consider it an encyclopedic type book to recommend as reference. In essence, it's not The Top Gear Story, it's just a bloke going on and on (and on) about his favorite show and his unbridled hero worship.

this is one of the best up there with fly and lewis Hamilton full story

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Tony

London, United Kingdom

10/14/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Absolute waste of time and money"

Would you try another book written by Martin Roach or narrated by Jerome Pride?

No

Has The Top Gear Story put you off other books in this genre?

Yes

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He didn't; he was ok

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

Any additional comments?

This was a dreadful book. The author basically watched every Top Gear episode and read loads of stuff in the newspapers about the presenters, and then he wrote a book.

All he does is describe the episodes - he doesn't take us into how the three work together, what they do, why they do it.

So much of the book is taken up by the author just telling you what happens in each episode, with a knowing wink so you know it was a joke or satire - but what the reader wants is to hear loads of stuff about the way these things are made, the way the presenters make the show work etc.

There's none of that in this book. Nothing of value at all - if you want to find out the contents of this book, just watch Top Gear. For example, the book is full of stuff like a description of an episode and then a statement like "and Hammond apparently has a terrible phobia of insects", just cos we see a scene in which he says he's terrified of insects - you don't find out anything about it, whether it's true or part of his Top Gear 'character' etc - the author simply watched the episode and made a note "oh, looks like Hamster is afraid of bugs, I'll say that in the book".

That's not what I want - I don't need technical details, but I want more than just "this is what they did on the show, and Jeremy wrote about it in his column and then this is what he said on an interview".

There is nothing of value in this book to a Top Gear fan. And if you're a fan of the presenters, there's even less - cos you'll already know it all. You don't get anything new at all.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Mr

Chester, United Kingdom

1/9/13

Overall

"A good light listen"

On the whole I really quite enjoyed this book. It wasn't the most in-depth, but it gave a good potted history of Top Gear and I learned quite a bit about the programme's development.

Some of the chapters consist of the author explaining what happened in certain episodes in much the same way an excited child would tell you about their favourite programme. As I'm sure everyone who reads / listens to this book will be a Top Gear viewer, I felt the detailed explanation of the episodes wasn't really necessary!

Saying that, the author delivers the book with good humour and made me smile a lot with the behind the scenes stories.

The only real bad point about this audiobook is that the narrator managed to mispronounce several names. I found a quick shout at the speakers with the correct pronunciation satisfied me!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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